Old Town, Charles Bridge and McD's

SO, like we said in the last entry we got up late and headed out the door totally off schedule, but thats what it means to be on vacation and not on a schedule.

Our place is so close to the centre of town that when we step out the door, we're practically there already. Actually, the reality is that it takes about 10 minutes to get to the "Powder Tower". Named for holding gunpowder in the past. Once we got there, we headed to the closest information office. It turns out that most of them are runned for profit so they constantly try to sell you something. Maps are like 5 bucks etc. Oh and there are tons of Fake concert sellers who stalk each tourist that walks by.



We decided just to go around and check out all of the sites that are close by. While walking down the amazing streets we found an ice cream parlor that was totally awesome. After spending 150 Krowns, we headed over the the main old square where they have the famous astrological clock and the Tynsky Cathedral. It's really great to see. There are the usual cafes and buskers. But there are lots of differences. All the historic buildings are is very gothic. There are spots where they tell you where people have died defending their religious beliefs and there is also a Meridian marker.

Off we went again in search of interesting things to look at. We wanted to find the Charles bridge but we ended up at a different one. It turned out to be a great spot to shoot the bridge. Finding our way over to the famous bridge we were interrupted by a black man dressed in a sailor\s suit. Very nice guy who offered us to go on a cruise in a small boat for $40 each. Nice but not today.

The bridge was very interesting. Armed with our mini-guide book we went through the whole bridge and knew who all the statues were. There were tons of artisans along the bridge who infact pay for the upkeep of the bridge through their fees. Lots of interesting pieces. We took notes on how they displayed their work. There was also a special Brass plate on one of the statues that was worn shiny by all the people touching it for good luck.

We were getting hungry and tired so we ended up leaving the bridge in search of some place to sit so that we could figure out where to eat. Heading back to the main squre we found a bench next to the observatory. THere we figured out a couple of places to eat. Unfortunately, after going up and down the streets, and trying to find these places we ended up going to the end of the street across from the Museum. There we spotted a lovely restaurant with big umbrellas and lots of people. As we neared it, we were surprised to se ethat is was a McDonalds. Giving up we bought two meals and ate them. The staff didnt understand any English so it was a bit of a challenge telling them that I wanted Tomatoes on my Big Mac. They also gave Lew Fanta instead of Coke. And, on top of that, they charged 33 crowns for ea ketchup packet, which was not even Heinz!

It was 10pm by the time we ate dinner. The ambience though was definitely upscale for a fast-food joint. The furniture was made of either granite or laminate for the tables, and leather for the seats and stools. Talk about fancy!

We walked back after, with our bellies full of food. Unfortunately, we tried to take a short cut and had to go through an underground pass to cut across the park on the way home. Along the highway, Michael spotted inappropriate behaviour in the unlit park. We picked up our pace in hopes of getting home sooner. We are not going to take short cuts anymore.